The present invention relates generally to a method and a system for creating and delivering electronic postcards.
Electronic communication has provided new ways to communicate greetings and short messages that typically are sent on cards such as greeting cards and postcards. In order to send a card, one must find a place to purchase the card, a postage stamp to affix to the card and a post office at which to mail the card. When one is travelling in an unfamiliar location, the steps associated with sending a card are particularly difficult.
Currently, a number of vendors maintain web sites that enable a person to create and send an electronic “greeting card” via e-mail. Such web sites provide a plurality of “cards” each having graphics and an associated message to which the sender can add a typed personal message. Typically, there are available a relatively small selection of “standard cards” and a larger selection of “premium cards” available to registered “members”. The sender provides an e-mail address for the addressee and the vendor associated with the web site transmits the “greeting card”. The vendor may send a confirmation (delivery or non-delivery) to an e-mail address provided by the sender. However, such systems require the sender have access to and operate an Internet connected computer, and the sender must provide personal information and a credit card number to access the “premium cards”.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,386 shows an apparatus housed in a booth for producing printed postcards incorporating a self-portrait of the sender with a selected one of several standard pictorial backgrounds. A cash-receiving device, a video camera, a monitor and background selection buttons are connected to a computer that controls the operation of the apparatus.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,740 shows a kiosk equipped with a digital camera for taking a photograph of a user in front of a scenic attraction. The kiosk also includes a computer, a credit card reader, a telephone connection and a color printer.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,774 shows a system for creating an electronic postcard incorporating a user supplied image and optional text, such as a handwritten message, and sending a notification with an identifier to a recipient. The recipient must access a server with the identifier to view and print the postcard.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,131 and the related U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,568 show an apparatus for creating a digital postcard and sending the postcard to a recipient via the Internet. The apparatus includes a digital camera for generating an image that is combined with a selected postcard template including geographical information overlaid on the image.